


You're my Sunflower

by jaexings



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Established Relationship, Fluff, M/M, Surprises
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-06
Updated: 2019-07-06
Packaged: 2020-06-22 07:41:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,216
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19662844
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jaexings/pseuds/jaexings
Summary: Standing amidst the neat rows of yellow flowers with the sun shining on his back and Jungwoo's chin tucked against his shoulder, Donghyuck believes for the first time that surprises aren’t too bad after all.





	You're my Sunflower

**Author's Note:**

  * For [leleluvclub (starryeyedpjm)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/starryeyedpjm/gifts), [ohno_lovelyvela](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ohno_lovelyvela/gifts).



> Instead of proofreading my enrara entry I exploded this fic out of me in 3-4 hours after Veve tweeted [this](https://twitter.com/jAi_peach7/status/1147063275726802944). Huge thank you to Rio for fuelling my feels for hyuckwoo. This fic is for both of you!

Donghyuck hates surprises.

Jungwoo is all too familiar with just how much he hates surprises, but time after time, he remains hopeful that Donghyuck will like the next surprise he prepares. Up until the morning of their day out together, Jungwoo had insisted that they will be going out for lunch together at one of Donghyuck’s favourite cafes for a quiet early birthday celebration together.

But as Jungwoo turns the motorbike onto the highway, a heavy, dreadful sensation sits uncomfortably within Donghyuck. 

“Jungwoo,” Donghyuck calls anxiously. 

The sound of the engine drowns out his voice and Jungwoo doesn’t hear him, doesn’t respond. 

Donghyuck tries again. “Jungwoo?” 

He wraps his arms around Jungwoo’s waist tighter, pressing himself right against Jungwoo’s back. Their helmets clank against each other.

“Jungwoo!” Donghyuck raises his voice. 

It’s hopeless. Jungwoo won’t be able to hear him until they turn off the highway but Donghyuck has no idea how long that will be. By then, they would have travelled quite a distance away from home and there will be no turning back.

Tucking his chin against Jungwoo’s shoulder, Donghyuck squeezes his eyes shut and wills the discomfort to subside. 

Just as he anticipates, they don’t turn off the highway until forty minutes later. Jungwoo slows down and carefully manoeuvres onto the streets of an unfamiliar suburb. 

“Jungwoo,” Donghyuck whines loudly. “You promised no more surprises!” 

“This will be good, I promise. You will like this one, I am sure of it!” 

He can’t see Jungwoo’s face from where he is seated behind him but Donghyuck can see the sheepish grin on his face. 

Unconvinced, Donghyuck grumbles back, “That’s what you say every time! I thought we were done with surprises. Did you really have to choose the weekend before my birthday?”

“Of course! We’re going on this trip _because_ it’s your birthday,” Jungwoo replies confidently. 

They pull over at a drink store and Donghyuck clambers off the bike, tugging off his helmet to flash Jungwoo an unimpressed look. 

“Seriously? We rode for forty minutes just to have pearl milk tea?” 

Jungwoo swoops in, much too fast for Donghyuck to respond and steals a kiss. “No, this is just a detour. To cheer you up before I present you with the surprise.” 

He grips Donghyuck’s hand tightly and drags him inside the store. They stand in line behind a group of high school-aged students who take their sweet time to decide on their orders. 

Donghyuck examines the drinks displayed on the screens hanging from the ceiling. He’s never been to this store or other branches of this store before, but bubble tea places generally have similar items to offer. 

“Are you going to try something new?” Jungwoo asks. 

He knows very well that Donghyuck only sticks with original pearl milk tea, but he always checks, just in case Donghyuck changes his mind. 

Donghyuck shakes his head, “Just the usual.” 

Jungwoo orders for them, remembering Donghyuck’s preference for half sugar and half ice and pays for the drinks. As they wait on the side for their drinks to be made, Jungwoo loops his arms around Donghyuck’s waist from behind, nuzzling his nose and lips against Donghyuck’s neck. 

“Please don’t be angry?” 

Although he enjoys the way Jungwoo clings onto him, acting more physically affectionate than usual, Donghyuck works hard to keep a straight face. Jungwoo really needs to understand that surprises are too uncomfortable and confronting for him to cope with. 

“No means no, Jungwoo. You know that I don’t like surprises.”

“I know, love. I know you don’t like surprises and I have tried my best to make sure that there are no more surprises,” Jungwoo replies sincerely. “Today is an exception though because I found something that I am certain you will like and I want you to enjoy it.” 

“I’ll enjoy it more if you tell me now,” Donghyuck runs his left hand through Jungwoo’s hair, messing it up. 

“Please trust me,” Jungwoo says in a low voice, his breath tickling against Donghyuck’s right ear.

Donghyuck swallows hard. Since they started dating two and a half years ago, everything Jungwoo has done for Donghyuck—every surprise he has planned and organised, every time he has gone out of his way to help Donghyuck—had been done with the best intentions in mind. Jungwoo never means to harm anyone, especially not Donghyuck. 

Sighing heavily, he decides that he really needs to trust Jungwoo this time. 

He pinches Jungwoo’s cheek and Jungwoo whines loudly, catching the attention of one of the school kids beside them. 

The staff calls their number and they collect their drinks. Jungwoo’s motorbike doesn’t have a storage compartment so they tuck the drinks safely in Donghyuck’s small backpack. 

They set off for another fifteen minutes before Jungwoo calls over his shoulder, “Okay, close your eyes until I tell you to open them.” 

Obeying Jungwoo’s request, Donghyuck shuts his eyes. They ride for five or ten more minutes, maybe more. Donghyuck is unsure. Time moves at a different pace when immersed in darkness. 

Jungwoo slows down and parks the bike carefully. He climbs off first then grips Donghyuck’s arm firmly to help him off the bike. 

“Can I open my eyes yet?” Donghyuck removes his helmet, passing it to Jungwoo.

“Not yet,” Jungwoo replies. He plucks the helmet from Donghyuck’s hand. “Just a short walk to go.” 

Donghyuck feels Jungwoo’s hand pet his hair, flattening the side that must be sticking up after wearing the helmet. Then he feels Jungwoo’s hand nudge his right hand. He laces their fingers together and exhales shakily. 

“Okay, lead the way?” 

The gravel shifts beneath Donghyuck’s feet with each step, crunching in an oddly satisfying way. Every few steps, a particularly jagged rock finds its way in Donghyuck’s way, digging into the bottom of his foot through his shoe. Their footsteps are muffled by dirt as they shift to different terrain. The scent of the earth fills Donghyuck’s nose. It feels like the grassy area at the park near Jungwoo’s house that they frequent often, but with less random naked patches of grassless land. 

Jungwoo sneezes loudly, startling Donghyuck. 

They both pause for a second then burst into laughter. Jungwoo’s laughter is addictive, music to his ears, and Donghyuck catches himself laughing much longer than he should’ve. 

“You can open your eyes now,” Jungwoo breathes, squeezing Donghyuck’s hand reassuringly. 

Donghyuck opens his eyes and the light from the midday sun almost blinds him. He blinks multiple times, a feeble attempt to remove the spots from his eyes. As his eyes adjust to the light, he realises that they are in a field. Not just any field—a sunflower field. 

He gasps, swivelling around to survey his surroundings. Standing amidst the neat rows of flowers with the sun shining on his back and Jungwoo's chin tucked against his shoulder, Donghyuck believes for the first time that surprises aren’t too bad after all. 

“For me?” Donghyuck chokes out. “You found this for me?” 

“For you,” Jungwoo confirms. “Just for you.” Then, he adds softly, “Only for you.” 

This is certainly not how Donghyuck envisioned his twentieth birthday to be like. He didn’t have high expectations—in fact, he didn’t have any expectations. But this is infinitely better than anything he could ever think of doing for his birthday. 

He releases Jungwoo’s hand to spin in circles, round and round and round, the flowers becoming a blur of yellow before his eyes. He has always wanted to do this. He can almost feel the ocean of yellow sunflowers wash over him, sweeping him back and forth. 

“You remembered,” Donghyuck laughs, “you remembered about—”

“About the sunflowers in Amsterdam,” Jungwoo finishes for him. He reaches out for Donghyuck’s hands, holding them both tightly. “Of course I remember.” 

A few weeks ago, Jaemin had sent him an article about sunflowers. Donghyuck had his head in Jungwoo’s lap at the time, almost dozing off as he scrolled mindlessly on his phone. Jungwoo had one elbow propped on his thigh to play with Donghyuck’s hair. The sight of the pictures from the article woke Donghyuck instantly. 

“Oh my god,” he exclaimed, bolting upright.

“Hmm? What’s wrong?” 

Jungwoo was reading a book for his literature class. Tucking the bookmark between the pages of his book, Jungwoo had set aside his book to look at Donghyuck. 

He laid back down in Jungwoo’s lap again, sighing dreamily. Jungwoo resumed playing with his hair, carding through the strands of light purple. Donghyuck recently dyed his hair silver and when the colour faded, leaving the bleached strands bare and boring, he tried the purple colouring shampoo Chenle recommended.

“You know Van Gogh? The artist?” Donghyuck began. When Jungwoo hummed, Donghyuck continued, “So for the 125th anniversary of his death, they planted 125,000 sunflowers at his museum in Amsterdam.” 

“Wow, 125,000?” Jungwoo echoed. 

Donghyuck continued sadly, “But that was back in 2015. I guess even if I knew about it then, I wouldn’t have been able to go anyway, it’s too far. I would love to see so many sunflowers in person one day.” 

Jungwoo had leaned down then, closing the gap. He pressed his lips softly against Donghyuck’s cheek and slowly, he kissed away all the sadness. 

“It’s a sunflower farm,” Jungwoo explains, rubbing his thumb over the backs of Donghyuck’s hands. “It’s the closest I could find to the sunflower display in Amsterdam. I know I didn’t plant these myself… But I want you to know that I would plant all of this for you, every single one of them.” 

He’s suddenly overwhelmed with emotions, surrounded by his favourite flowers, feeling the warmth of the sunlight on his skin, and seeing Jungwoo’s soft smile before his eyes. Tears well up in Donghyuck’s eyes and he leaps forward to kiss Jungwoo, looping his arms around his neck to remain steady on the tips of his toes. 

He squeezes his eyes shut and let the tears fall. They kiss slowly, sliding their lips against one another. There’s a slight sense of urgency when Jungwoo kisses back like he’s racing against time to get the most kisses out of Donghyuck. 

Jungwoo is the first to pull away, gasping. 

“Are you crying?” he asks, his voice is laced with concern. He thumbs gently at Donghyuck’s cheeks, wiping away the tear tracks. “Please don’t cry,” he says sadly. 

Shaking his head, Donghyuck chuckles, “They’re tears of happiness, baby. I’m so happy right now.” 

Kissing the love of his life in a field of sunflowers. Donghyuck cannot be happier. 

Jungwoo swoops in to kiss his cheeks. “There’s something else.” 

He pulls Donghyuck towards the edge of the field, back towards where they entered. There, a short elderly man awaits them in his white truck. The man greets them enthusiastically, patting Jungwoo’s back before he passes a wooden basket to them. A small piece of white fabric with embroidered sunflowers covers the opening of the basket, obscuring the contents packed inside. 

Distracted and fascinated by the embroidered flowers, Donghyuck misses the exchange between Jungwoo and the elderly man. It is only when the old engine of the truck gurgles loudly and the man drives off that Donghyuck realises they are alone again. 

“Come,” Jungwoo beams, removing the basket from Donghyuck’s grasp. 

He transfers the basket to his right hand and uses his left to hold Donghyuck’s hand. They stroll back through the sunflower field in silence. Donghyuck marvels at the sunflowers, amazed by how some of them rise high above Jungwoo’s head. He runs his hand through the tall leaves as they walk, feeling them flutter against his fingers. 

“Why do you like sunflowers so much?” Jungwoo queries, genuinely curious. 

Jungwoo runs his free hand through his hair. The dark roots are showing on his head, contrasting against the blond segments. As his hair flops back, Donghyuck notices that his hair is getting a bit too long. He’s going to have to nag Jungwoo several times before he gets it trimmed. Donghyuck genuinely doesn’t understand how someone can stand having strands of hair in their eyes, obscuring their view, and not do anything about it. 

“Guess. I like them for a number of reasons,” Donghyuck muses. 

Jungwoo hums, swinging their joined hands back and forth. “Is it… because they’re taller than you?” 

Sniffing indignantly, Donghyuck shoves at Jungwoo’s chest jokingly. 

Jungwoo tightens his hold on Donghyuck’s hand. “Alright, alright. I was just teasing. Is it because they’re yellow and that’s your favourite colour?”

The fact that Jungwoo remembers something so trivial, such as yellow being his favourite colour makes him feel giddy inside. Donghyuck doesn’t know if Jungwoo remembers such small details because he’s a good listener. It’s certainly not because of a good memory. 

Jungwoo is rather forgetful at times. He forgets to empty the washing machine and hang the clothing outside when the washing cycle stops. He forgets to buy groceries and always end up riding his bike over to Donghyuck’s apartment for food. He forgets his assignment due dates and even his friends’ birthdays. 

But when it comes to Donghyuck, Jungwoo always remembers. 

Or, a small voice supplies helpfully at the back of his mind, Jungwoo is extra attentive because he likes and cares about Donghyuck. 

“Yeah,” Donghyuck breathes, “and because I like the sun.” 

The warmth and light from the sun energises Donghyuck, lighting him up from the core of his body to the tips of his fingers. It relaxes his mind and dissipates any building stress within him. He loves spending time at the beach and sitting on a park bench with Jungwoo by his side. 

Even on Donghyuck’s dullest, saddest days, the sun is always the answer. 

Donghyuck loves the sunlight but in healthy amounts. They have been walking under the sun for at least fifteen to twenty minutes now and even that is a bit too much sunlight at one time for Donghyuck. He wipes a hand across his face, smearing away the beads of sweat that have formed on his forehead and on the tip of his nose.

At the other end of the field, they seek refuge from the scorching sun under a tall oak tree. Jungwoo riffles through the basket and pulls out a picnic blanket.

“Ta-dah!” he cheers, shaking out the blanket with one hand. 

Failing miserably, he laughs sheepishly and passes the basket to Donghyuck. Jungwoo kicks away the stray rocks and sets the picnic blanket on a bare dirt patch beneath the tree. 

Donghyuck peeks into the basket, then teases, “I would ask if you prepared the food but I think the answer is most likely no.”

“Yeah no, I can’t cook,” Jungwoo agrees wholeheartedly. “I am merely an expert at assembling salads and plating dishes. Serving them too. I would make a great waiter.” 

“Alright then, waiter. Serve me some food.”

Unveiling the basket, Jungwoo pulls out boxes of fruits, meat skewers, and chicken sandwiches. He riffles at the bottom of the basket and fishes out metal utensils too. 

Donghyuck pokes at the boxed fruits, removing one side of the plastic lid to examine the contents. The strawberries, green grapes, and watermelon slices look particularly appetising. He removes the whole lid and wrinkles his nose at the sight. 

“There are pineapples I know, but don’t worry, I’ll eat them.” 

They pull out the bubble tea too. Donghyuck eyes Jungwoo’s drink curiously, mesmerised by the swirling syrup inside the cup.

“What did you get?” 

“Brown sugar milk tea,” Jungwoo smiles. “I’ve only tried it once but it was really nice. Want a sip?” 

Donghyuck begins to shake his head then changes his mind. He plucks the cup from Jungwoo’s grasp, drawing the straw out of his mouth. He takes a tentative sip and pauses to allow time for the taste buds in his mouth to evaluate the taste. 

“Not bad, but it’s too sweet.” 

Jungwoo stirs the contents of the cup with his straw, creating a small whirlwind of pearls inside the drink. “Wow, a compliment from Mister Donghyuck. I’m flattered.” 

“Better than that taro milk thing you always get,” Donghyuck adds, furrowing his eyebrows in disgust. 

“If you have nothing nice to say, don’t say anything!”

The sunflower field spans before their eyes from where they are seated under the tree. The view is absolutely breathtaking. They eat in silence, revelling in each other’s presence. Occasionally, in the distance, they would see the crowns of people’s head bobbing amidst the sunflowers. 

When the food is all gone, safe in their stomachs, Jungwoo complains loudly, “I’m still hungry!” He topples over to lay his head in Donghyuck’s lap. 

“You’ve got to be kidding me, we ate so much.”

Jungwoo clambers back up, “I almost forgot. I have something else for you. Close your eyes.” 

“This better be the last surprise of the day Jungwoo,” Donghyuck rolls his eyes. 

“Just close your eyes okay!” 

He makes a show of covering his eyes with both his hands, the way his young cousins do when he visits them over Summer break and plays hide and seek with them. He feels Jungwoo shift beside him, the sound of rustling filling his ears. 

There’s a click, once, twice. Then Jungwoo announces, “Okay, you can open your eyes now.” 

In Jungwoo’s hands is a small birthday cake adorned with ‘Happy Birthday Donghyuck’ in the icing and two small candles—a ‘2’ and a ‘0.’

He sits, beaming at Jungwoo as he sings the birthday song to him softly. 

“Thank you, love,” Donghyuck smiles back. His cheeks are hurting from how much he is smiling today. 

“Quick, make a wish before the candles go out!” 

Donghyuck squeezes his eyes shut and wishes hard. When he opens his eyes again, the flame on the ‘0’ candle had gone out. He blows the remaining candle anyway.

“Guess you’ll just be two years old,” Jungwoo jokes, setting aside the cake. Then, Jungwoo shouts, pointing in the distance. “Hey, look!”

Curious, Donghyuck whips his head in the direction of Jungwoo’s pointer finger, only to feel something wet touch his nose. He turns and catches Jungwoo licking the cream from the cake off his fingers.

He shoves Jungwoo back until he is laying flat on his back. Donghyuck clambers on top and straddles Jungwoo’s waist. He dips his fingers into the cake. Jungwoo thrashes beneath him, laughing loudly when Donghyuck successfully smears cream across Jungwoo’s forehead and right cheek. 

Leaning forward, he pecks Jungwoo’s other cheek. 

Jungwoo reaches a hand behind Donghyuck’s head and pulls Donghyuck down, pressing their foreheads together. 

“Ah!” Donghyuck whines, feeling the cream transfer from Jungwoo’s forehead to his. 

“Got you,” Jungwoo grins, kissing the cream off the tip of Donghyuck’s nose. 

Holding Jungwoo’s face with both his hands, Donghyuck kiss one corner of Jungwoo’s lips, then the other. 

“I’m so lucky to have you,” Jungwoo murmurs.

“I love you so much,” he whispers against Jungwoo’s lips. 

Jungwoo doesn’t need to say it back. Donghyuck can feel his love from the gentle way he wraps one hand around Donghyuck’s hand to press it against his cheek. He can feel it from the look in Jungwoo’s eyes, the way his break hitches when Donghyuck kisses him. 

“Happy birthday Donghyuck,” Jungwoo whispers back, angling his head to kiss Donghyuck. 

Donghyuck shuts his eyes and smiles into the kiss.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading this, I hope you enjoyed it! Please leave comment!
> 
> Writing about hyuckwoo going on a picnic date has been sitting at the back of my mind after Rio and I talked about it months ago. I originally envisioned their date to be at a cliff side, by the ocean but Veve’s tweet about the Van Gogh sunflowers inspired me! Also, I think realising there’s less than 10 fics under hyuckwoo’s tag and that the majority of them aren’t actually hyuckwoo main/centric stories spurred me on. 
> 
> Come chat to me: [♡ Twitter](https://twitter.com/jaexings) | [♡ Curiouscat](https://curiouscat.me/jaexings) | [♡ Other works](https://archiveofourown.org/users/dohyucks)


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